Proteins that repair damaged DNA

IITH researchers have unravelled the working of a protein that repairs damaged DNA. Nature has evolved techniques to not only protect DNA, but also to repair damaged DNA so that catastrophic damage can be averted. In humans, one such repair mechanism involves activation of a special class of proteins called ‘DNA repair proteins’.

With increasing awareness of the impact of DNA damage on almost all diseases and maladies, there is worldwide effort to understand how these repair proteins work, both as an academic exercise and as the foundation for therapeutic interventions.

The research team is headed by Dr. Anindya Roy, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Hyderabad. The Research was funded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The results of the study, conducted in collaboration with Prof. Arun Goyal, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati, has been published recently in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Nucleic Acid Research.